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Last weekend I forgot to pull up the swim ladder before putting the engine in gear to pull up the anchor. The prop was only in gear for a second before I realized the ladder was down andshutoff the engine. The prop put a small dent in the aluminum leg of the ladder. The SS prop has a few very small dings in it (almost unnoticeable). Everything seemed fine and I boat ran as usual for the remainder of the weekend.

I almost forgot about the incident until I notice a small oil sheen around the prop when I lowered the engine into the water this morning. My initial thought was the two are unrelated, but now I’m starting to wonder in that little bit of impact would be enough to damage the prop shaft seal or even bend the prop shaft.

Any suggestions are appreciated. The engine is a Suzuki 300. I’m going to have the lower unit oil drained and pressure tested, but my mechanic suggested that I monitor it for a couple of days. Read More